The Barisan Nasional-Perikatan Nasional (BN-PN) pact won 24 of the 28 seats in Saturday’s (Nov 14) Melaka state election, the Election Commission (EC) has confirmed, comfortably more than the 19 seats needed for a two-thirds majority in the state assembly.
EC chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun announced the official results at Menara Persekutuan in Melaka on Saturday night. BN won 21 seats and PN three, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) won the remaining four.
Turnout was 71.77%, with 493,573 voters casting their ballots, a figure that includes early and postal votes, the EC said.
Within BN, Umno won 18 seats, MCA two and MIC one, giving the coalition the same 21 seats it won in the 2021 state election. PN, which fielded five candidates under the pact, won three of them: Bukit Katil, Paya Rumput and Bemban.
All four of PH’s seats went to DAP, which held Ayer Keroh, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir. PH, which fielded 24 candidates, won one seat fewer than in 2021, while PKR and Amanah won none.
In Bukit Katil, PAS candidate Ridzuan Sarif took the seat from Amanah vice-president and former chief minister Adly Zahari, who had held it for two terms, with a majority of 6,607 votes.
Caretaker chief minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh kept his Tanjung Bidara seat with a majority of 8,615 votes, up from 364 in 2021, while Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh retained Merlimau with a majority of 8,724 votes, up from 3,284.
Bersatu, which contested seven seats under its own logo, failed to win any, as did Parti Bersama Malaysia, which fielded 16 candidates, Putra and the three independent candidates. In all, 79 candidates contested the 28 seats, with BN fielding 23 and PN five under their pact.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim congratulated BN on its win and said the federal government would keep working with the Melaka state government on development and the people’s well-being, adding that it was time to move forward and put the people’s interests first.
The state assembly was dissolved on Sept 23, paving the way for the polls, the 16th state election in Melaka.